Thursday, June 30, 2011

It's Gagapanda! Lady Gaga tries out an animal new look on Japanese TV... but did she think she was in China?

Gagapanda: Lady Gaga tries out a new style on Japanese TV yesterday

When visiting a foreign country it is of course polite to pay tribute to their culture.

But, despite naming Japan as one of her favourite places, Lady Gaga may have mixed up their native animals.

The singer appeared on Japanese television dressed as a panda - native animal of China.

Whether she thought she was paying tribute to Japan, or whether the 25-year-old just had a whim to become 'Gagapanda' is unclear.

The Born This Way singer arrived on the show in a black and white outfit with her hair in two buns and wearing sunglasses.

She kept the glasses on a for a minute to build suspense as the hosts complimented her on her outlandish ensemble, before dramatically removing them to reveal her heavy black eye make-up.

Animal instinct: The singer said she 'likes pandas and has been eating a lot of bamboo this week' as explanation for her outfit

'I really like pandas,' she declared. 'Pandas have paws, and I always tell my fans to put their paws up. I've been eating a lot of bamboo this week.'

Later in the program Gaga listed 'one day having panda babies' as one of her dreams.She has also started referring to herself as Gagapanda on Twitter.

With the help of a translator, the hitmaker answered a round of questions from the excitable presenters, about her love of cooking, keeping her clothes after she wears them, and her fears (missing her family).

'You know pandas are Chinese right?' Gaga chats with the talk show presenters

While in Japan Gaga has slammed the claims that she profited from wristbands she sold through her website to aid tsunami victims in the country.

After raising money for the survivors of the earthquake by selling $5 wristbands, the singer faces a lawsuit over claims that she added an unnecessary sales tax and a $3.99 shipping charge to the red and white 'We Pray for Japan' bracelets.

But an spokesman for the star, who is currently touring Japan, today labelled the lawsuit 'misguided.'

Fighting back: The 25-year-old has slammed the claims that she profited from the sales of her charity wristbands to aid Japanese tsunami victims

'This misguided lawsuit is without merit and unfortunately takes attention away from the kind deeds of the fans around the world who are supporting the people of Japan,' said the singer's spokesman Holly Shakoor.

'The entire five dollar donation made with the purchase of each bracelet is going to support the disaster relief,' she added. 'No profit is being made on shipping costs. Sales tax charges were made in accordance with local legal requirements.

'Lady Gaga has personally pledged her own funds to this cause and continues to support the victims of the disaster.'

Hurtful: Gaga's representatives have said the lawsuit launched against her over the claims is 'without merit'

Gaga has been sued under her real name of Stefani Germanotta under charges normally used to fight racketeering.

Live Nation Merchandising, Universal Music and a number of Gaga’s business ventures have also been named too.

The lawsuit, filed at the U.S Federal Court in Detroit, states that they all used a ‘deceptive advertising campaign’ and a ‘pattern of racketeering’ to persuade the public to buy the wristband from Gaga’s official website.

The court papers state they ‘misrepresented to individuals and to the public at large...that ‘all proceeds’ derived from the wristbands would be donated to the (Japan) Relief Effort’.